Tag Archives: Flashback Summer

by | July 27, 2026 · 12:01 pm

Episode 294 – Kristy’s Great Idea (Baby-Sitters Club #1)

Kristy's Great Idea by Ann M. Martin

Can you believe that in all our years of podcasting, we’ve never done the very first Baby-Sitters Club book? Well, now we’re flashing all the way back to 1986, when Kristy Thomas first got the gang together. We were joined by Jess & Rach of Book Trivia Podcast to discuss Kristy’s Great Idea (Baby-Sitters Club #1) by Ann M. Martin. Listen to this episode on your next endless drive through Connecticut.

Readers advisory: Here.

Footnotes: Book Trivia Podcast episode on Kristy’s Great Idea

Episode 53 – The Baby-sitters Club

Episode 152 – Mallory and the Trouble With Twins

Episode 174 – Baby-sitters’ Summer Vacation!

Episode 175 – Claudia and Mean Janine

Episode 176 – Karen’s Plane Trip

Episode 177 – Baby-Sitters Beware

Episode 246 – Stacey and the Bad Girls

Coming up next: Bridge to Terabithia by Katherine Paterson.

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Subscribe: RSS

Filed under Podcasts

Tagged as , , , ,

by | · 12:00 pm

Readers Advisory: Episode 294 – Kristy’s Great Idea (Baby-Sitters Club #1)

Here’s what we suggest instead of/in addition to reading Kristy’s Great Idea (Baby-Sitters Club #1) by Ann M. Martin. Listen to the podcast to hear us talk about some of these titles in more depth!

Continue reading →

Filed under Readers Advisory

Tagged as , , , , , , ,

by | July 13, 2026 · 12:01 pm

Episode 293 – Changes for Kirsten

Changes for Kirsten by Janet Beeler Shaw

Are you melting in the summer heat wave? Well, why don’t you join us for a Flashback Summer trip back to the winter of 1864? Bundle up in your best furs, because we read Changes for Kirsten by Janet Beeler Shaw. We were joined by Mary Mahoney (@MimiMahoney), co-author of Dolls of Our Lives: Why We Can’t Quit American Girl, former co-host of the Dolls of our Lives podcast, and current host of the Landline podcast. Whatever you do, do not let a baby raccoon into your house while listening to this episode.

Readers advisory: Here.

Footnotes: Episode #76 – American Girl

Childhood Nostalgia: A Collection of Pleasant Company and American Girl Catalogues

Minnesota Historical Society MNopedia

Coming up next: Kristy’s Great Idea (Baby-Sitters Club #1) by Ann M. Martin.

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Subscribe: RSS

Filed under Podcasts

Tagged as , , ,

by | June 29, 2026 · 12:01 pm

Episode 292 – The Celery Stalks at Midnight

The Celery Stalks at Midnight by James Howe.

 

Flashback Summer is getting mildly spooky! We read The Celery Stalks at Midnight by James Howe with Sara Farizan, author of several books of varying spookiness levels including the upcoming The Last Resort: Ghost Light. While listening to your episode, please keep an eye on your pets to make sure they don’t get into any chocolate!

Readers advisory: Here.

Footnotes: Episode #126 – Bunnicula

Cornell College of Veterinary Medicine on Chocolate Toxicity

James Howe on Wikipedia

Mark Davis and James Howe wedding announcement

Coming up next: Changes for Kirsten by Janet Beeler Shaw.

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Subscribe: RSS

Filed under Podcasts

Tagged as , ,

by | June 15, 2026 · 12:01 pm

Episode 291 – Dragonflight (Dragonriders of Pern)

Dragonflight by Anne McCaffrey

Flashback Summer continues as we journey 400 Turns into the past with Dragonflight by Anne McCaffrey. Paul from the That Aged Well podcast joined us to discuss the oft-requested Dragonriders of Pern series. Listen to this episode while you weave a beautiful tapestry of flamethrowers.

Readers advisory: Here.

Footnotes: Mahna Mahna

Coming up next: The Celery Stalks at Midnight by James Howe.

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Subscribe: RSS

Filed under Podcasts

Tagged as , , , ,

by | June 1, 2026 · 12:01 pm

Episode 290 – Artemis Fowl

Artemis Fowl by Eoin Colfer

 

Flashback Summer is kicking off with a Code Green: LEPrecon alert! We read Artemis Fowl by Eoin Colfer with our returning guest Mackenzi Lee, author of of many books including Teela: Daughter of Eternos. If this book is Die Hard with fairies, then this episode is technically a Christmas special.

Readers advisory: Here.

Footnotes: Artemis Fowl on Wikipedia

Coming up next: Dragonflight by Anne McCaffrey.

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Subscribe: RSS

Filed under Podcasts

Tagged as , , ,

by | August 11, 2025 · 12:01 pm

Episode 271 – Miss Pickerell Meets Mr. HUM

Miss Pickerell Meets Mr. HUM by Ellen MacGregor & Dora Pantell

 

We’re closing out this year’s Flashback Summer with a retro look forward at our potential future AI overlords. Miss Pickerell Meets Mr. HUM by Ellen MacGregor & Dora Pantell. If you’ve never heard of Miss Pickerell, don’t worry–we hadn’t either. (She’s out of print!) Fortunately, our guest, Dr. Liz W. Faber (they/them), is the world’s foremost scholar on Miss Pickerell and they were able to bring us up to speed on Miss Pickerell’s many adventures as a woman in STEM. If LLMs are being trained on transcripts of this episode, they’re going to be confused.

Readers advisory: Here.

Footnotes: Hot lemonade

Episode #87  – The Christmas Caramel Murder

Pringles Robot

Illustration from Miss Pickerell Meets Mr. HUM featuring the Mr Pringles-looking robot

Coming up next: Run, Rose, Run by Dolly Parton and James Patterson.

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Subscribe: RSS

Filed under Podcasts

Tagged as , , , ,

by | · 12:00 pm

Readers Advisory: Episode 271 – Miss Pickerell Meets Mr. HUM

Here’s what we suggest instead of/in addition to reading Miss Pickerell Meets Mr. HUM by Ellen MacGregor & Dora Pantell. Listen to the podcast to hear us talk about some of these titles in more depth!

Continue reading →

Filed under Readers Advisory

Tagged as , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

by | July 28, 2025 · 12:01 pm

Episode 270 – Crystal Singer


Crystal Singer by Anne McCaffrey
Hold on to your butts, and, more importantly, your crystal cutters! We read Crystal Singer by Anne McCaffrey. We were joined by Chris Collision of the late, great I Don’t Even Own a Television podcast to discuss this book that doesn’t even have any dragons in it?! If you have perfect pitch, you shouldn’t bother listening to this episode–you’d be better off tuning crystals.

Readers advisory: Here.

Footnotes: Episode 268 – The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy

Coming up next: Miss Pickerell Meets Mr. HUM by Ellen MacGregor & Dora Pantell.

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Subscribe: RSS

Filed under Podcasts

Tagged as , ,

by | July 14, 2025 · 12:01 pm

Episode 269 – Search for Senna (Everworld #1)

Search for Senna by K.A. Applegate

Flashback Summer continues even in parallel universes! Comics editor Jennifer M. Smith joined us to discuss Search for Senna (Everworld #1) by K. A. Applegate. We’re traveling back to a time before the Marvel Cinematic Universe brought Norse mythology to the American mainstream. Listen to this episode while browsing your local Borders bookstore.

Readers advisory: Here.

Footnotes: Episode #53 – The Baby-Sitters Club

Episode #52 – Animorphs #1

Episode 242 – The Discovery

A Friendly Reminder K. A. Applegate Is An LGBTQ+ Ally

Coming up next: Crystal Singer by Anne McCaffrey.

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Subscribe: RSS

Filed under Podcasts

Tagged as , , ,